Christmas note card set with Christmas mice.
These beautiful greeting cards will make a lovely addition to any gift or as a unique set of cards for a loved one. Each card is printed on beautiful heavy 100% cotton rag fine art paper (cream) or linen look art paper (white) with archival pigment ink from one of my original pen & ink illustrations. These prints are beautifully crisp and fade-resistant!
Note card measures 4 1/4″x 51/2″, with a Kraft premium paper envelopes packaged in a clear plastic sleeve for protection.

I am sorry to report my experience with a rogue Micron archival ink pen. I have used a number of these pens in drawing on cotton muslin fabric for products to sell in my Etsy store for a while. Never having had a problem before I was not aware of the possibility of one with these pens. I recently began using a new pen and it created very bright black lines. I assumed it was the newness of the pen and would eventually tone down. While putting together one of these drawings into a project I used water to mist and iron it. To my sad surprise the ink began running and ruined the drawing. Because I use a number of different pens on one piece I wasn’t sure which finished drawings had the potential of ruin if exposed to water. So, I have tested all my present drawn pieces with misting water to check for running ink. These pens claim to be “waterproof, chemical resistant, fade resistant, bleed free, quick drying and pH neutral”. I have found them to be so until now. I will be writing the company for their thoughts on this product.

Micron archival quality ink penclaims to be waterproofRuined drawings after exposure to water

I have been drawing baby hummingbirds – these sprout to adulthood in about 24 to 26 days. From an egg the size of pea to an amazing beautiful and fast flying little creature in about a month! What a wonderful example of God’s creation!

These were drawn on muslin fabric to use in making quilts and other crafts. And I also made some little tote bags featuring the hummingbird drawings.

Peter Caldwell in his work, “Pen and Ink Sketching“, states, “learning to leave out as much detail as possible, without depriving the picture too much, is to be applauded. Rather than draw every little detail which would decidedly overdo rather than enhance the drawing. It is better to suggest the appropriate gesture: a few bricks in a wall, a mere indication of slates on a roof and only the minimum amount of leaves on the tree or foliage. The imagination is far more capable of filling in the remaining spaces and indeed needs to exercise itself in this way, thereby giving the artist and the viewer far greater satisfaction. The “golden rule” then, is simply to indicate in the white spaces in the drawing what these spaces represent or contain overall. Where then does this ‘suggestion’ go in order to gain the maximum effect? Concentrate the suggested textures around the edges of the object. This helps focus the eye more on the shape of the object rather than the centre of it – the shape is more interesting than the middle.”

I am attempting to practice this “suggestion” drawing with the hedgehog quills.

Coloring is not just for kids any more. Adult coloring is a popular way to have a little “art therapy” at home. Not officially therapy, but just a way to possible reduce anxiety and help bring focus to the mind. And it’ s fun!

Mother – Caring, nurturing, sympathetic, understanding, a friend. . .

I illustrated for an author a while back who needed a graphic of a pair of shoes. After the first rough draft she wanted to change the shoes to look used and worn out. She also wanted the buckles to be replaced with ties. This is a good example of the illustration process I use when working with an author on their book project to reach the graphic they are envisioning.